Cigar feeding mechanism



Dec. 25; 1934. CORNOCK 1,985,765

CIGAR FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 11, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l 35 F INVENTOR 4 Emu/P0 I Cox/vac:

ATTORNEYS Dec. 25, 1934. E F. CORNOCK CIGAR FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 11, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3! '5 INVENTOR ZDWA/PO Z'Coxwacm ZMZZ ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 25, 1 934 ,t: UNITED STATES ATENT O F E;

m CIGAR FEEDING MECHANISM i Edward F.,Cornock, Springfield, Mass, assignor to Package Machinery Company, Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 11; 1933, Serial N0. $88,882 6 Claims. (01. 198-24) This invention relates to machines for feeding articles such as cigars from a hopper and then collecting the rows thus fed out into a single file on a conveyor, so, that the articles may be handled individually a wrapping or banding machine. The invention has been embodied in its preferred form in a feeding mechanism such as is shown in the .Smith Patents 1,873,058, August 23, 1932 and 1,911,650, May 39, 1933.

In the commercial handling of cigars it is customary to stack them in rows with the number of cigars in successive rows varying. To preserve the continuity of the rows when the cigars are stacked in a magazine a wooden block or filler isplaced atthe end ,of each of the short rows. When the rows are'removed from the magazine and collected in a single file it is necessary to remove these blocks. Heretofore this has been done, manually,the blocks being pickedout by operator. It is the object of the. present invention to remove these blocks automatically by .mechanicalfimeans, It is obviousthat in certain aspects the invention couldbe utilized for re- :moving a predetermined number of cigars from alayer rather than for removing wooden filler blocks. In the followingdescription however, the mechanism will be described in connection with its preferred use in removing the wooden blocks. j

Referring to the, drawings;

Fig. 2 of a machine embodying the invention; Fig.2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectionon line 3- -3of Fig. 2; l Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive are fragmentaryjyiews show ng successive stages in the operation -'of the mechanism. l

.The mechanism is carried upona frame 10 'upon which is located. a cigar feeding table'll. 40

Upon this table is located a magazine consisting of front and back walls 12- and 13supp0rted 1 upon brackets 14 which themselves form the side all walls; The brackets at one end are carried upon a plate 15 with the rear brackets coupled to it by screw and slot connections 16 and with the plate itself mounted upon the table 11 by a screw and slot" connection 17. Cooperating with the magazine is' a mechanism for feeding outand depositing upon a conveyor successive layers of l cigars, this mechanism being in the preferred embodiment constructed as follows. Passing across the bottom of the magazine between the 1 i2 and 13 is a pusher 20 carried upon arecipro Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation on line l-.-1 of e referred tor v V I whichthepresent case relates are centered about b which are placed at' the Q rough adjustment, a finer adjustment table 11 and the elevated lower edges of'the walls 'cable slide 21. This slide carries a rack 22 engaging a pinion 23 which is itself rotatable by a rack 24, the latter rack being pivoted at 25" to a crank 26 rocking about a pivot 27"on the frame.

Within a slot 28 in this crank runs a block 29 5 mounted upon a pin 30 carried by a crank disc 31 continuously rotating upon a shaft 32 driven as described in the Smith patents above.

The pusher operates to remove 'the lowermost row of articles from the bottom of the magazine 10 and to position them above a pair of chains 35 passing at oneend around-sprockets on a stationary shaft 36 and at the other end around sprockets not shown in the present case but described in the Smith'patents, the chains being 15 preferably continuously moving. The cigars or other articles are heldelevated above the upper surfaces of the chains as they are being" fed out bythe pusher by means of rails 37 forming a vertically movable platform and are deposited 20 upon the chains by a downward movement of these rails. The rails are carried upon brackets 38, each; pivoted to one arm of' a pair of bell cranks 39, the other arms of which are coupled by a link 40. The bell cranksare rockedand the 25 rails moved up or down by a cam 41 mounted on the continiiously rotating shaft 32 as is fully cr din, he sm r efii The operation of the devicef as thus far describedis the sameas is described in'the patents The particular improvements to the mechanism for handling woodenj fi ller blocks V end of'certa'm of the rows of cigars a; in the magazine. "In the case" Jshown, theblocks are all locatedat "that end of the row, which is towards the bottomof the sheet in Fig. 2. Accordingto the type; of cigar being operated upon these bloc'ks'may appear in alternate'rows, in every thirdrow, or in every fourth row. The mechanism is thereforemade; adjustable so that it'may ,accommodateellflof these cases andwill remove blocks only, leaving the cigars free to pass along theconveyor chains 35.

A pair of rails 45 are mounted as shown in Fig. 2 45 .beside two of the rails 37. Upon each of these rails 45 are short ledges 46 forming a block elevator and connected by a screw and slot connection 47 so that they may beshifted longitudi nally along the rails. The screw fastening ,each 50 of these ledges may pass into any one of a number of tapped holesin the rails which gives a ng secured. by sliding the ledges along "in their slots until they are in exactly the rightposition. Each of the rails is carried by a forked arm 48 pivoted at 49 to the frame and having an extension 50 carrying a cam roll 51. A spring 52 normally holds the arm 48 against a stop 53 as shown in Fig. 3, the ledges in this position being slightly below the upper Surfaces of the conveyor chains.

The cam roll is periodically operated upon by a cam 55 mounted upon a shaft 5 6 which carries at its other end a gear 57. This gear meshes with a gear 58"rotatable upon a stud 59 adjustably mounted in a slot 60 in the frame. keyed or otherwise secured to the gear 58 so that the two rotate as a unit, and itself .meshes with a gear 62 fixed upon the shafts 32. The stud 59 can be removed from the machine and the gear 58 changed in order to vary'thenu nber of revolutions given to the shaft 56 with reference to the shaft 32. The slot 60 whichis made arcshaped in form about a center coinciding with the axis of shaft 32, permits this change to be made while --nr e vi e h esa s in iR QPQ Qh- {The am r d-cit tc qpe at nes r s re lowered b a ;guard 6 5;keyed;at 66- to the pivot stud 49 and held in 1adjusted position ;by aset screw 6.7. On the Q l Ei Q -Q u hifih el ai n serving esas d p blQQk flh so eration of t device can now be con sidered. In Eig, 5. a rowof cigarsnot containing a-block'has 'b en forced out onto the rails 3'! by themlunger 29. As the plunger goes back the rails-Sfldescend, depositingtherow of cigars upon the chains ;.as shown in Fig. 6. After a prede- ;terrnined number of. cycleszof the machine, during which completerowsof cigarsare fed, a row will be. reached whfch contains a' wooden spacer block.

- ln; thecase-shown;a block occursin every fourth w. in Eig.,;7 a block has justbeen fed out by attic-plun er 20. .Initially this block is supported,

as -are the cigars .by-the rails 37/ Atthis point qingthe,..cy cle theiforked-arm 48is raised by the r.cam 55causingtheledges 46 to engage the lower surface of vthe'block. As long as the uppermost position of the-.elevator fifi is above the conveyor chains 35, it is not materialto this invention -,yvhether .the. elevatortravels to the. same eleva- 'on as-the rails 37, or to a hig her or lower point ,than these -rails, It,is convenient to have the block pushed away bythe next layer ofcigars,

v.thus avoiding thelnecessity of giving the elevator 46 a sufiicientfleggth festroke todo the actual delivery; of the I block- 5 or of providing a separate clearingplunger. In the preferred case thev elevator is;held. elevated during the descent of w the rails. 3'7,.-. which .depositthe cigars in a row upon the conveyor chains. Thecigars willthen move with the conveyor chains leaving. behind them 5 is clearly shown in the still elevated block. Thi

' ig. 7. inwhich the cigars are being carried along bythe conveyor chains. 55 and block b is held elevated by the ledges {46. In' the next cycle 'of the machine as shown inFignS, the block is picked up. by. the ledgesB'I and the forked arm 48 again descends. Thec'oordination of the parts is such that theblock is at all times kept elevated above end --of one at the end of the .row contacts with the block andpushes it oifonto the guard 65.

The-blocks and cigars areg'uided by a member 69 exampleLin-every second; row, it is necessaryto me cin -51 28 5 an ls ie. r la th -9am A gear 61 is.

.plungermovable periodicallyto shift I those environments or to different operating conditions,

some of which changes have been indicated above, without departing from the invention as set forth in the following claims.

What I claim is: 15

1. A cigar feeding device comprising a magazine formed to contain superposed rows of cigars withspacingblocks in certain only of the rows, a plungermovable periodically to shift said rows successively from the magazine, and mechanism 20 automatically operable in timed relationwiththe plunger onltliose cycleswh'en a spacing block is fedouflfwith a row to remove said block 'frcm the'row. I I

2. A cigar feeding device comprising al-rnaga- 25 zine fforme'd to contain superposed-rows, of "cigars with spacing blocks in'certain' of the. ro.

successively from the m g zine, {a vertically movable platformreceiving the rows from Qthe 3 0 plunger, a conveyor located below the, upper position of the platform and upon which the cigars areset upon the descent of-theplatform, an elevator vertically movable in positionftdireceive the blocks, and means for, reciprocating .85 the elevator in timed relation with the otherparts so as to maintainthe blocks above the conveyor until the next succeeding upwardmovenientf'of the platform, whereby theblocks soghel d willbe forced oif the platform by the-row of cigarslneifit i0 pushed out by thefplunger.

3; A cigar feeding device 'comprisinga magazine formedto contain superposed rows of cigars with spacing blocks in certain ofthe 'rows a eopveyor positioned adjacent the magazine,'means 515 forremoving successive rows of. cigars from'fthe magazine and depositing theni upon the eonveyor, and mechanism operable to engage "the spacing blocks and prevent their partakingof -.the forwardmovement of the conveyor,.whereby 5 0 the blockswill be ,l 'l shed sideways out. of registration with the conveyor by the movementfrom the magazine of the next succeeding row of cigars and means controlling the operation of said mechanism so that itwill operate only upon s5 ro.ws of cigars containing a spacing. 'b 1ock. '4. A cigar feeding device comprisinga 'rnagazine formed to contain superposed rows 'ofcigars with-spacing blocks in certain of the rows, a conveyor positioned adjacent the gmag'ai zine w means for removing successive rows of cigars from the magazine and depositing-them upon the conveyor, an'elevator vertically movable 'to jlift said blocks away from the surface of'the conthev conveyor chains. When the next row of cigars is fedout as shown in Fig. 8, the forward veyor, and mechanism operable in timed-relation ,65 to said depositing --means for causing lifting --movement-of the elevator only. upon theifeeding out -of those rows. containing a spacingblock. 5. A; cigar, feeding device ,comprising a. magameans for removing successive f rows gar, cigars omthe magazineand-depositing them upon the renew l- ;aer o re tisa l me ah ai 'sn- .1

gage said blocks and hold them away from the surface of the conveyor, a replaceable cam actuating said elevator, and change speed gearing coupling saidcam to said removing and depositing means whereby the frequency of operation of the elevator may be changed to correspond with the frequency of occurrence of spacing blocks in successive rows.

6. A cigar feeding device of the type having-a magazine, a plunger movable through the magazine to remove a row of cigars therefrom, a continuously traveling conveyor over which the cigars areedelivered by the plunger, and a table movable to a level above the conveyor to receive the cigars and then to a level below theconveyor to deposit the cigars upon the conveyor; said device including an elevator positioned beside the table and movable independently thereof to hold selected articles of a row elevated above the conveyor after the table descends, and means for driving said elevator including a replaceable cam and change speed gearing driving the cam, whereby the frequency of operation of the elevator may be changed to correspond with the frequency 10 of occurrence in successive rows of articles to be removed thereby.

EDWARD F. CORNOCK. 

